Khidmah, an Abu Dhabi-based fully integrated property management service provider, plans to enter the East European market in future, a senior official said.

“We are planning to enter the Egyptian market hopefully next year while planning to enter some of the European and Central Asian countries where Abu Dhabi-based investors are building a large pool of assets,” Adel Kamali, Chief Administrative Officer of Khidmah LLC, a major player in Abu Dhabi’s growing property market, told Gulf Property in an exclusive interview. “Being an Abu Dhabi-based property manager, we know most of these large developers who are building projects in different parts of Europe and Central Asia. So, we will make a call at the right time when some of these projects are handed over and will require project management services.

“Meanwhile, we will set up our strong international division to expand our expertise in those countries.”

Abu Dhabi-based developers Aldar Properties, Bloom Properties, Eagle Hills and a few others have projects in different parts of the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and East Europe. Eagle Hills is developing Belgrade Waterfront – a mixed use marina project that will change the urban landscape of Belgrade while Aldar Properties is developing a large number of projects in Kazakhstan.

Khidmah firm is expected to record between 10-15 per cent growth on its annual turnover of Dh500 – Dh600 million, a senior official said.

The company, which has 25,000 properties under management, employs 4,500 professionals working round the clock. It offers integrated property management services that includes facilities management, mechanical, electrical and plumbing services, community services, owners association management, etc.

“We go up to the extent of managing social events for communities as well as lifeguard services at the beaches in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah,” Adel Kamali says. “Currently, we are focussing on energy efficiency and sustainability to reduce costs.”

Khidmah is paddling ahead with plans to more than double the size of its lifeguard operation as property businesses attempt to splash out into new business areas at a time when prices and rents are sinking. Khidmah was established as an in house management company in April 2009 as a joint venture between Sorouh (an Abu Dhabi developer that later merged with Aldar) and Dubai-based Capital Investment.